The Excalibur 5-Tray Stainless Steel Dehydrator D500SHD is somewhat new on the scene. It is not a top seller, perhaps because it has a premium price and limited capacity.

This 5-tray stainless steel dehydrator is from Excalibur, one of the finest manufacturers in the business. The D500SHD model has all the best features for both convenience and excellent results, but after a couple of years on the market it still hasn’t really caught on with customers.

It has gotten a lot of 5 Star ratings on Amazon – but a closer look reveals something surprising about all those rave reviews. Get the facts before you buy!

Features

Stainless Steel Outer Case and Stainless Trays

5 Trays – 8 square feet of drying space

Built-in Automated 26 Hour Timer

Adjustable Thermostat – 105° to 165°F

440 watts

10 Year Limited Warranty

While I wouldn’t call any food dehydrator “beautiful”, this stainless steel model certainly makes for an attractive and professional looking kitchen appliance. The interior of the case is made of the same polycarbonate as other Excalibur models that come in black or white, but the trays are stainless steel.

Its 5 trays measure approximately 15 inches by 15 inches to give you a total of 8 square feet of available drying space. Like all box-type models, this unit is not expandable (you can’t add additional trays), so be sure to consider in advance whether the capacity will meet your intended uses. Also remember that an advantage of the box-type models is that you can remove trays to make room for bulky foods or tall items.

The Adjustable Thermostat has a temperature range of 105° to 165°F, which makes it versatile enough to safely dehydrate meats for jerky, and also to dry more delicate foods like fruits and vegetables without destroying enzymes.

The built-in Automated Timer can be set for up to 26 hours, and the dehydrator will automatically shut itself off when the drying time you have set has been completed.

This is a 440 Watt unit with a 5 inch fan, and it’s built with Excalibur’s patented heating and drying technologies. First is the Parallex™ Horizontal Air Flow, which means that a jet stream of forced air is directed to each individual tray. This is much more efficient than dehydrators that only radiate heat.

Second is the Hyperwave™ Fluctuation Technology, which works together with the air flow system to draw moisture from the inside of the food (not just the exterior surface) without overheating it. This air flow/temperature combination makes the Excalibur one of the most efficient dehydrators on the market.

If there is a drawback to this dehydrator, it’s in all those questionable online customer reviews. This product gets an overall rating of 4.7 stars, but that number is very deceiving. Keep reading to get the real story behind that number (or click here to skip down the page and read now).

Wattage

Wattage: 440 Watts

Color & Materials

The color is listed as “silver”, but of course, to be precise it’s stainless steel.

The trays and the outer case of this dehydrator are stainless steel. The interior of the case is made with the same polycarbonate that is used on Excalibur’s other dehydrators that come in black or white.

Made in USA? BPA Free?

Yes, it’s made in the USA!

The manufacturer states that the polycarbonate used is FDA approved material that doesn’t give off harmful fumes when used under 160°F. BPA is not a concern with the trays since they are made of stainless steel.

Size & Capacity

As stated above, this dehydrator includes 5 trays, and like all box models, it cannot be expanded by adding any additional trays.

Customer Reviews

Wow, look at all those 5 Star reviews! No, wait, look again…

Amazon reviewers give this food dehydrator an overall rating of 4.7 stars. At a glance that looks great, right? However, if you actually read those reviews you’ll discover that of the 59 people who gave this product 5 stars, not a single one of them actually owns and uses this product! In fact, only one of those 59 reviewers even bought this dehydrator. This person then realized that organic foods were not readily available to her and returned the product. She gave it 5 stars because it was easy to return with no hassle and a full refund. That’s good to know, but it certainly doesn’t help you in your buying decision.

So, what’s going on with all those other reviews? It turns out that some website ran a contest and asked entrants to submit a comment about what they would do with a dehydrator. The comments were supposed to be on the website’s blog, but a lot of people misunderstood and entered their comments as a review on Amazon.

Are there any reviews online from actual product owners?

We checked over a dozen online retail sources for this product, and only Amazon and one other site had any reviews at all. On Amazon, there are two reviews that provide valid, useful information. One person gave it 4 stars, and another gave it 3 stars, but before you judge on that, read why they gave those ratings:

4 Stars – One person really likes this dehydrator, especially the stainless steel. They first received a unit with a broken timer but were pleased that after contacting customer service they quickly received a replacement. One factor this reviewer did not like is that because of some side screws on the unit, two of the trays are difficult to insert because they tend to catch on those screws. For that reason, the reviewer gave the product 4 stars instead of 5.

3 Stars – Another person was happy with the overall function of the dehydrator, but space was an issue. This reviewer complained that making kale chips didn’t work well because the trays were too crowded. To allow enough room required using only 2 or 3 trays at a time, which drastically reduces the amount of food that can be processed at one time. For that reason, the product got only 3 stars, which isn’t exactly fair because there is no stated defect with the machine itself. Rather, it emphasizes the importance of considering how you intend to use your dehydrator before you make a final decision.

Excalibur 5-Tray Stainless Steel Dehydrator Review: Summary

The fact that this dehydrator is made by Excalibur gives one confidence in the quality. However, as yet there is not enough actual consumer feedback to establish any kind of general level of satisfaction. What we do know is that the one customer who reported receiving a defective unit was pleased with the ease and speed at which he received a replacement.

For anyone willing to invest in a stainless steel unit, this could be a very good dehydrator. Just be sure that 5 Trays will be enough to meet your needs. The small size of the machine is a plus because it takes up less counter space, but at the same time it’s a drawback if the interior capacity limits your use and enjoyment.

About The Healthy Kitchen Shop

I love delicious food! But sadly, so much of it is full of preservatives, pesticides, and who-knows-what-else. I deserve better, don't you!

My mission is to eat healthier, and I look for great products to help me out. That involves tons of research, and hopefully I can save you some time. My goal is to help you get all the information you need so that you can feel confident you'll be satisfied with the product you choose. You need details, and The Healthy Kitchen Shop's got 'em!

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